Low cost motor drives in vehicle applications, such as electric bikes (hereafter referred to as E-Bikes) operated with battery-stored energy, are sought after because of their positive impact on the environment, the existing mass market of electric bikes, and the limited financial resources of the user community in countries such as China, India, and other developing nations. One of the significant cost elements in a motor drive is the power converter circuit, particularly in the number of power devices such as transistors and power diodes. Economy in the use of power devices translates into reduced control circuit components, such as gate drives, logic power supplies, and device protection circuits; such economy also leads to reduced printed circuit board area, heat-sink volume, and weight. Fewer power devices also leads to lower cost of the power electronic system for the motor drive.